Southwest Riverside County community news briefs for Sunday, Dec. 21

The Californian

WHAT'S HAPPENING

CHP holding holiday toy drive

TEMECULA -- The local California Highway Patrol office has
kicked off its annual CHiPs for Kids holiday toy drive.

New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the Temecula CHPoffice from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Dec. 23. The toydrive will benefit the Temecula Valley Head Start Program andAlternatives to Domestic Violence.

For information, call Officer Ron Thatcher at 506-2000.

Veteran counseling service offered

MURRIETA -- Veterans Affairs Counseling Service is offered twice
per month at the Murrieta Senior Center. The next session will be
Wednesday.

Don Krampe, a veteran and past assistant to the Veterans
Administration regional director, will be at the center from 8 a.m.
to noon the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.

TEMECULA -- Free music lessons and instruments are available for
local children through Musicians Workshop.

The workshop is able to offer the free lessons thanks in part to
numerous grants the nonprofit organization has received
recently.

Musicians Workshop provides after-school performing arts and
musics programs for Southwest County children, including those with
special needs or those designated as being at risk. Its new
facility is in the new Cal State San Marcos satellite school
building, 27455 Tierra Alta Way in Temecula.

For information on programs or how to apply for a scholarship,
call Jon or Jane at 678-2517.

Book group to discuss novel

TEMECULA -- Members of the Temecula Library Book Discussion
Group will meet Jan. 12 to discuss "Loving Frank: A Novel."

The members meet from 1 to 3 p.m. at Temecula Public Library,
30600 Pauba Road.

In February, the group will review several different books on
Abraham Lincoln in honor of his 200th birthday.

For information, call Jo-Ann at 302-5315.

Free ballet workshop offered

TEMECULA -- A professional ballet dancer will offer a free
workshop for students in January at a local dance studio.

The first 30 local dancers who sign up can participate in the
workshop, offered by Amy London of the Smuin Ballet from San
Francisco. The workshop will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 31 at Old Town
Temecula Community Theater's dance studio, 42051 Main St.

Members of Smuin Ballet is conducting a guest residency at the
community theater and will be performing on Jan. 30 and 31. Tickets
are $25, $20 for seniors and $15 for students.

For information on the workshop or the performance, call (866)
653-8696.

Club opens up bus registration

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest County is now
registering children for morning and afternoon transportation
between their schools and the local clubhouse.

The program provides bus and van rides from clubhouses to
schools in the morning and back to the clubhouses in the afternoon.
The cost is $300 per month plus a $20 membership fee, however
scholarships are offered to ensure all children can
participate.

The transportation is offered at the clubhouses in Temecula,
Murrieta and Lake Elsinore. For a list of schools serviced, call
699-1526.

Fundraiser to benefit Oak Grove

TEMECULA -- A performance next month will serve as a fundraiser
for a Murrieta school that serves at-risk kids, special needs youth
and children with autism.

Temecula Live will be put on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24 at Old Town
Temecula Community Theater.

The headliner for the live performance will be the Ranch
Rockers, a country band.

Other artists include KSON/Viejas "Big Country Showdown" winner
Danielle Tucker and The Mill Creek Boys.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Oak Grove Center for
education in Murrieta.

Display to feature the Model T

TEMECULA -- The Model T Ford will be the subject of both an
exhibit and a talk next month at Temecula Valley Museum.

The exhibit, titled "The Model 'T' Ford: 100th Anniversary,"
will be available for viewing from Jan. 10 through Feb. 22. It will
feature a 1915 Model T Roadster and a 1922 Model T Center Door,
photographs, original footage of the car's production and antique
signs from gas stations and dealerships of the era.

Also, Chuck West, a historian and a member of the San Diego
Model T Club, will give a talk at 6 p.m. Jan. 15 at the museum.

The museum is at 28314 Mercedes St. in Old Town Temecula. For
information, call 694-6450.

SERVING THE FLAG

Local residents complete basic training

TEMECULA -- Two Temecula graduates have graduated from basic
military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio,
Texas.

During six weeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force
mission, organization, core values, and military customs and
courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches, and received
physical training, rifle marksmanship and field training
exercises.

Airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an
associate's in applied science degree through the Community College
of the Air Force.

Graduates are:

- Air Force Reserve Airman Jaqlyn R. Lope, daughter of James
Cope of Temecula and a 2008 graduate of Temecula Valley High
School

- Air Force Airman Durya Toles, son of Dana Toles of Temecula
and a 2008 graduate of Great Oak High School.

Sergeant trains off Korea

Marine Corps Master Sgt. Raymond A. Ortiz, along with Marines
and sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, III Marine
Expeditionary Force, recently completed a training program off the
coast of South Korea.

The five-day Korean Incremental Training Program included
amphibious beach landings, simulated air strikes and beach support
operations. Conducted annually in conjunction with the Republic of
Korea's military, the operation is designed to improve combat
readiness for all the troops and build upon the alliance between
the two nations.

Previously, the 31st MEU teamed with members of the Philippine
Armed Forces and Nurses Corps for the annual Exercise Talon Vision
and Amphibious Landing Exercise. As part of that exercise, they
provided medical and dental care, antibiotics, medication, juice
and water to more than 900 locals at an elementary school in the
Philippines.

During the nine weeks of training, recruits studied the Army's
mission and received instruction and training exercises in drill
and ceremonies, Army history, core values and traditions, military
justice, rifle marksmanship, weapons use, map reading, land
navigation, and field maneuvers and tactics.

Deche is the son of Belen Deche of Temecula.

COMMUNITY NOTES

Local girl earns title at pageant

TEMECULA -- A 7-year-old Temecula girl recently brought home a
title from the 2008 National American Miss pageant.

Robynne French earned the Talent Winner Optional contest title
for the princess age division at the pageant, held last month in
Anaheim. She was chosen from among hundreds of candidates across
the United States.

Robbyne will travel across the country to represent the National
American Miss Pageant Program.

According to a news release from the organization, the pageants
are based on inner beauty as well as poise and presentation.
Emphasis is placed on the importance of gaining self-confidence,
learning new skills, learning good attitudes about competition and
setting and achieving personal goals.

Robynne's activities include singing with the Wings of Praise
Performance Ministry, modeling and broadcasting classes with Simply
Charming and volunteering at Sterling Communities Memory Care Unit.
In addition, she plays the piano and is an active black belt in tae
kwon do.